HR082 - M. Finnkrieg - Down The Poppy Stairs Of Heaven - C60 — 1988
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Side A:
invocation (undercover girl) future social minimalism snapped mousetrap india can you hear me? strange developments in a brewery drama spill your guts postcards from a dry place perfect whirl |
Side B:
stop at the beginning innocence blood! flow! blood! bastard, i kill you atom lounge no favourite choice blubber stuck in the mud toxic event sweetheart |
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
Based in Berlin, M. Finnkrieg (Ulrich Heinke) also ran the Deaf Eye label. Down The Poppy Stairs Of Heaven is a 60 minute adventure in electronica, collage, rhythm, samples, theme building, and tape manipulated craftsmanship. All music was created by M. Finnkrieg, with synth programming assistance from Henry Hektik on six tracks. There is a LOT happening across the tape’s 21 tracks, most of which are in the less than a minute to 3+ minute range.
After what sounds like an eerie old horror movie sample, we’re treated to the stilted but grooving percussion driven electronica and chipmunk chatter of ‘future social minimalism’, which is augmented by synth melodies, periodic vocals, and just enough tape manipulation to inject an experimental edge. Percussion and rhythm are important elements throughout the set. ‘india’ features bits of hip-hop, lots of electronic freakiness, and somehow Finnkrieg manages a pleasant tune within the alien collage weirdness. It feels like a lot of playing around with various ideas, yet it all flows.
At over 6 minutes, ‘strange developments in a brewery’ is by far the longest track of the set and my favorite. A darkly meandering atmosphere lays the foundation for a parade of whooshing, buzzing and whizzing effects, drugged, spectral voices, cool macabre melodies, and an overall sense of spaced out creepiness. Absolutely fantastic! Other highlights include ‘spill your guts’, a well-crafted blend of machine shop activity, oddball rhythms, and akimbo song. ‘postcards from a dry place’ is different, being about the closest to synth-pop we hear on this set. ‘perfect’ consists of dancefloor soulful, fun with tapes experimentalism. ‘stop at the beginning’ combines New Wave song and spacey parts and pieces. ‘innocence’ is a wild combination of hip-hoppy, spacey, off-kilter electronica, and droney insect vibes. ‘blood! flow! blood! is like an industrial take on a Goblin composed film soundtrack. ‘bastard, i kill you’ is another of my favorites, being a hypnotically rhythmic and lysergically disorienting descent into an effects, voices, and melody mashed up dreamworld. And ‘toxic event’ is a fun jungle dancefloor cut-up electronica tune. Listen from start to finish to really appreciate what Finnkrieg is doing.
Based in Berlin, M. Finnkrieg (Ulrich Heinke) also ran the Deaf Eye label. Down The Poppy Stairs Of Heaven is a 60 minute adventure in electronica, collage, rhythm, samples, theme building, and tape manipulated craftsmanship. All music was created by M. Finnkrieg, with synth programming assistance from Henry Hektik on six tracks. There is a LOT happening across the tape’s 21 tracks, most of which are in the less than a minute to 3+ minute range.
After what sounds like an eerie old horror movie sample, we’re treated to the stilted but grooving percussion driven electronica and chipmunk chatter of ‘future social minimalism’, which is augmented by synth melodies, periodic vocals, and just enough tape manipulation to inject an experimental edge. Percussion and rhythm are important elements throughout the set. ‘india’ features bits of hip-hop, lots of electronic freakiness, and somehow Finnkrieg manages a pleasant tune within the alien collage weirdness. It feels like a lot of playing around with various ideas, yet it all flows.
At over 6 minutes, ‘strange developments in a brewery’ is by far the longest track of the set and my favorite. A darkly meandering atmosphere lays the foundation for a parade of whooshing, buzzing and whizzing effects, drugged, spectral voices, cool macabre melodies, and an overall sense of spaced out creepiness. Absolutely fantastic! Other highlights include ‘spill your guts’, a well-crafted blend of machine shop activity, oddball rhythms, and akimbo song. ‘postcards from a dry place’ is different, being about the closest to synth-pop we hear on this set. ‘perfect’ consists of dancefloor soulful, fun with tapes experimentalism. ‘stop at the beginning’ combines New Wave song and spacey parts and pieces. ‘innocence’ is a wild combination of hip-hoppy, spacey, off-kilter electronica, and droney insect vibes. ‘blood! flow! blood! is like an industrial take on a Goblin composed film soundtrack. ‘bastard, i kill you’ is another of my favorites, being a hypnotically rhythmic and lysergically disorienting descent into an effects, voices, and melody mashed up dreamworld. And ‘toxic event’ is a fun jungle dancefloor cut-up electronica tune. Listen from start to finish to really appreciate what Finnkrieg is doing.